Do teachers unions help or hurt student success in K-12?
We decided to do some research to see what we could find in the way of articles or studies to try and help answer that question. We'll present what we found here for your review. In the end you make the decision as to whether the unions are a PLUS or a MINUS.
We first reached out to the Battle Ground Teachers Association and told them we were preparing a blog story and asked them to share any information by March 15th if they were interested. The 15th came and went with no interactions or response. Next we reached out to the Washington Education Association (WEA) and asked them to share any information no later than the end … [Read more...]

From Truth in American Education ......
It has been pointed out after the most recent GOP presidential debate that a President can’t repeal the Common Core State Standards.
I agree, ironically a federal mandate to end the Common Core in the states would be just as unconstitutional as the involvement by the Obama administration’s back door funding approach via Race to the Top. There is no legitimate federal role in education beyond addressing civil rights violations in the public schools when necessary and only when necessary, I wouldn’t consider the feds interjecting themselves into locker room and restroom policy as necessary, but I digress. That’s a topic for a different time and a … [Read more...]

From EAGNews.com January 15, 2016 By Victor Skinner > > > > What say you? Agree or disagree and why? > > > >
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Teachers in Charlotte, North Carolina are taking a “no-nonsense” approach to address student behavior problems by eliminating words like “please” from the classroom lexicon.
“Your pencil is in your hand. Your voice is on zero. If you got the problem correct, you’re following along and checking off the answer. If you got the problem incorrect, you are erasing it and correcting it on your paper,” math teacher Jonnecia Alford told students at Druid Hills Academy as she employed the “No-Nonsense Nurturing” method in her … [Read more...]

The problem with KIPP's character-education model
By Jeffrey Aaron Snyder
May 7, 2014
Imagine attending a high school where your teachers grade you on how well you handle disappointments and failures; respond to the feelings of your peers; and adapt to different social situations. Imagine, too, that the results are tabulated in a document called a “character growth card” and sent home to your parents along with your report card.
Sound far-fetched? Well, keeping tabs on a student’s character development is at the leading edge of the “new character education.” Paul Tough’s bestselling 2012 book, How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity and the Hidden Power of Character, … [Read more...]